Alabama-Maryland produces 2025’s best March Madness game
Alabama and Maryland delivered the best game of this year’s March Madness on Monday with a double-overtime thriller.
Regional 2 – Birmingham No. 4 Maryland (25-7, 13-5 in Big Ten) outlasted No. 5 Alabama (24-9, 10-6 in SEC), 111-108, to advance to its fourth Sweet 16 in five seasons.
Alabama fifth-year senior guard Sarah Ashlee Barker had a performance for the ages in the loss, scoring a career-high 45 points on 17-of-25 shooting while adding eight rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block.
Barker forced a second overtime by making three free throws with 0.7 seconds left after being fouled on a three-point attempt down three, 96-93.
According to Stathead, Barker’s 45 points tied former Ohio State guard Kelsey Mitchell for the fourth-most points by a player in women’s NCAA Tournament history.
Maryland had three players score at least 20 points, led by senior guard Shyanne Sellers (28 points). Senior Sarah Te-Biasu (26 points) and junior Kaylene Smikle (24 points).
Alabama shot 54.1 percent from the court, while Maryland was 45.1 percent, including 42.3 percent (11-of-23) from beyond the arc.
With the stellar performances on both sides, it was a shame that either team had to lose.
It was arguably an even bigger tragedy that the game didn’t go a third (and fourth, and fifth…) overtime.
Besides Maryland’s men’s and women’s basketball teams, this year’s NCAA Tournaments have lacked dramatic endings.
On Sunday, the men’s squad defeated Colorado State on a buzzer-beater from freshman 6-foot-10 center Derik Queen. Maryland’s women’s team did them one better with Monday’s thriller.
Both teams will play No. 1 seeds in the Sweet 16. While the men are scheduled to play Florida, the women’s team will play South Carolina on Friday for a chance to advance to the Elite Eight for the second time in three seasons.
